How Long Does Cremation Take?

Although Cremation is often said to be a simple alternative to the traditional burial, it is more complicated and requires a longer period of time to complete than a burial. The reason for this is because of various State & Local laws, regulations, and Crematory policies. Although Florida Law requires a minimum of 48 hours from the time of death until the cremation can take place, it normally requires 7 to 10 days to receive Cremains of your Loved one and Certified Death Certificates. If necessary an ” Expedite” can be done at a small additional fee.

The reasons for this are as follows :

The vital statistic information is entered on the Death Certificate, and the original document is then delivered to the decedent’s attending physician to complete and sign. This can take from 1 to 14 days. The death certificate is then returned to the Licensed Funeral Director, (L.F.D.) or Licensed Direct Disposer (L.D.D.) where upon receipt, it is further reviewed for verification, accuracy, and to ensure proper completion of all required elements & information.

The L.F.D. /L. D.D. must complete and file the original Death Certificate with the Health Department in the County where the death occurred. The L.F.D. /L. D.D. must also file a Burial/Transit Permit. The L.F. D. /L. D.D. prepares the permit and submits it to the Sub-Registrar, or County Registrar, who will then issue this permit, after issuance the L.F.D. /L. D.D. must file the permit with the Health Department in the county where the death occurred in a timely manner.

Under Florida Law, all Cremations must be approved by a County Medical Examiner. The L F.D. /L. D.D. must file a copy of the Death Certificate with the Medical Examiner’s Office in the County where the death occurred, and request permission from the County Medical Examiner to cremate. This can take from 1-5 days, as the Medical Examiner will decide according to what the attending physician has entered on the Death Certificate. The Medical Examiner may, at his/her discretion, withhold authorization pending further investigation thereby requiring a longer period of time.

All completed forms required by the State, County, & the Medical Examiner’s Office, along with the Crematory Authorization form is then delivered to the Crematory.The Crematory is regulated by State law to operate only 5 days a week, 8 hours a day. They may, of course, only cremate one decedent at a time, allowing 2-3 hours for each cremation. We complete this process in as little time as possible, and thank you for your patience. The information contained herein simply is to make you aware of the factors that directly and indirectly affect the time necessary to complete a cremation. How long it takes for each cremation is based on each unique set of circumstances as well as by how quickly the State Agencies, Doctors, & Medical Examiners complete their tasks. Again, thank you for your kind patience, and we continue to strive to complete the process as quickly as is possible